by Heather Lyn
“Thank you, Grayson.”
“For what, baby?” Furrowing my brow, I lean down and kiss her forehead.
“For being my hero and saving me last night.” She kisses the base of my neck, then settles back down to sleep. And in the quiet of the early morning, I start to fall in love with Kennedy Grant.
CHAPTER 7
Kennedy
I’m awoken by a banging sound. Sitting up in bed, I notice that I’m alone. I look over at the clock on Grayson’s end table and see that it’s noon. Stretching, I climb out of the bed and go into his bathroom quickly putting a drop of toothpaste on my finger and cleaning my teeth the best I can without my toothbrush. Looking in the mirror over the sink, I take in my appearance. I have a bruise across my upper cheek, and my bottom lip is split. My hair is everywhere and half matted down on one side, probably from the tears I shed before I got into bed with Grayson. I grab his brush and quickly run it through my hair. Tucking it behind my ears, I head out to find Grayson in his open kitchen, brewing a pot of coffee. He hears me walk in and turns to look at me.
“Hey, you. Morning! Or should I say afternoon. How’d you sleep?” He grabs an empty mug from the cabinet and puts it next to one that’s already filled to the brim.
“I slept good, real good actually. Your bed is comfy.” I take the empty mug over to the half-filled pot and pour myself some.
“You feeling all right?” Grayson asks, taking a sip of his coffee.
“Yay, I’m okay. I will be. I’m mostly angry at this point. I know I was lucky that nothing happened, but I’m still pissed. I wish I’d gotten a nut shot in before I passed out,” I grumble into my coffee.
I hear Grayson chuckle. “That’s my girl.”
I look up at him wide-eyed, sure I heard him wrong. He notices my shock and smiles at me.
“What? You think I forgot about last night? Fuck no.” He puts his coffee down and comes to take mine from me before grabbing me under the legs and setting me on the counter, stepping between my legs. He rests his arms on either side of me and kisses my neck.
“No, that wasn’t what I meant, I was just surprised. I liked the way it sounded.” I smile at him and run a hand up and down his back. It feels incredibly natural to be with Grayson this way.
It feels right.
Grayson winks at me, then takes my lips with his. I wrap my arms around his neck, bringing him closer to me. He’s barely done anything and I’m already soaked, practically panting with need for him. Nobody has ever made me feel like this. He’s running his hands up and down my bare thighs, causing goose bumps to break out over my skin. Groaning, he wraps his arms around my waist, scooting me to the edge of the counter. My legs encircle his waist and I gently rock my hips against him as he moves me up and down, rubbing his hardness against me. I break the kiss and throw my head back, a loud moan tearing from my throat.
There are two layers of clothing separating us, but the sensations running through me are out of this world. The way he’s rubbing against me, I could come just like this. Grayson leans down, kissing the base of my neck and continuing down over the fabric of his T-shirt I’m wearing. I’m so turned on. He easily finds my hard nipples and without warning gently bites down on one. My hand goes to the back of his head, gripping his hair tightly. Never stopping the gentle thrusting of his hips, he leans up and yanks my shirt off.
His warm mouth hover over my breasts, I can feel myself getting closer to release. He starts moving his hips a little harder, and he’s hitting me in the perfect spot. His tongue traces from my belly button up to my neck and back down to a hard nipple, making quick and gentle circles around the hard tip. The moans coming out of me are frenzied. Never in my life has a man gotten my body this worked up.
“Grayson...please….”
He seems to understand what I’m asking for. His eyes are hooded with lust, and he’s biting his bottom lip. His breath is coming in short pants. Tightening his grip on me, he starts circling his hips, groaning softly.
“Jesus, fuck, Kennedy. Shit, we should stop.” But he’s too late to stop it. One last thrust of his hips and I’m falling into oblivion. I arch my back and feel him wrap his arms around me. My sensitive clit is throbbing as he continues to rub against me.
“Oh Grayson.” I’m still moaning his name, getting every ounce of this orgasm that I can take. Slowly he stops moving as he kisses me gently. I can barely open my eyes, but when I do I can see that he’s clearly still aroused.
“Need some help with that, Mr. Michaels?” His eyes are filled with lust. I hop off the counter, not even bothering to put my shirt back on. Leaning up on the tips on my toes, I kiss his bare shoulder.
“Kennedy, you don’t need to do anything. We shouldn’t have gone that far.”
“Shh. Let me take care of you, Gray. I want that. Don’t you?” I start kissing his chest, working my way down. I hear him groan when I drop to my knees and run my tongue down his abs. When I make it to that fucking V, I can’t help myself; I trace my tongue along it, the muscles in his thighs twitching under my hands.
Hooking my fingers into the waistband of his boxer briefs, I slowly lower them until his hard cock springs out. Holy fuck. How is that ever going to fit in me? I wrap my hand around the base and Grayson lets out a loud moan. I look up at him and his head is thrown back, his neck straining.
“What do you want, Grayson? I just want to please you. How do you want it?” Stroking my hand slowly up and down his hard length, I continue to question him. “Should I just use my hand?” Moving my hand back down to the base, I lean forward and circle my tongue around the tip, catching the drop of pre-cum that is dripping out. His shout of pleasure causes me to smile.
“Or maybe I should just go take a shower and leave you alone…”
He reaches down and grabs my hair.
“Open, baby. And I want those pretty brown eyes on me while I fuck your mouth. I want you to see what you do to me.”
Grayson Michaels is a dirty talker. Who knew?
I suck his tip, moaning when I taste him. I know there’s no way I can fit all of him in my mouth, so I keep a hand around the base as I start to bob my head, making sure to run my tongue around the tip every time I come back up. His grip on my hair tightens and he begins to flex his hips faster.
“Fuck, Kennedy. Your mouth feels like fucking heaven, baby. Makes me want to see how good that fucking pussy feels. Jesus, you feel so good.”
Breaking eye contact, I close my eyes and continue to work him with one of my hands. With the other, I reach down between my legs and rub circles on my clit, hoping to relieve the tension that’s building again.
“Are you touching yourself, Kennedy? Holy shit, that’s so fucking hot. Fuck yeah, baby. Touch that sweet pussy. Does sucking my cock turn you on?”
Nodding, I rub myself faster, sucking harder. Hearing his grunts and moans has me so turned on. I’ve never felt this bold. It’s Grayson. He makes me brave, makes me feel sexy. He does this to me.
A couple more seconds and I’m coming again, moaning around his cock. He groans loudly and I can feel his cock hardening even more in my mouth. He’s about to come. I increase my pace, going as fast as I can. He reaches down, grabs the hand I just had between my legs, and pulls it to his mouth, sucking on my fingers that still have my release on them.
“Mmm. I knew you’d taste fucking sweet. Shit, baby, I’m gonna come. Pull off, Kennedy.”
Is he serious?
I suck harder and within seconds I can feel his salty cum spurting into my mouth. I swallow and continue sucking him, listening to him moan through his release. I let him go with a wet pop and stand up, picking my shirt off the floor and slipping it on. I look over my shoulder and see Gray tucking himself back into his boxers. He comes over to me and spins me to face him.
“Well, that wasn’t exactly how I planned on us spending our morning, but I quite enjoyed it.” He gives me a soft kiss and reaches down to grab my ass.
“What, Grayson? Didn’t get
enough?” I joke.
“I’ll never get enough of you, baby.” Giving me one last kiss, he reaches over and picks his coffee back up. I’m sure it’s cold, but he takes it and walks into the living room.
I pick up my own cup and am glad to feel it’s still warm. As I take a sip, I lean against the counter and watch as he sits on the couch and props his feet up on the coffee table. He grabs the remote and turns the television on, finding a channel playing highlights from the baseball game last night.
“Hey, Gray? If you don’t mind I’m gonna take a shower. And then can we talk?”
He looks over at me with a smile.
“Of course, Kennedy. My home is your home. Towels are in the hall closet.”
Walking into the living room, I lean down and place a gentle kiss to his cheek, then make my way into the bathroom to shower. When the water is warm enough, I strip and step in.
As I go through my routine, I think about Grayson. He’s shown me in the last day just how much he cares about me. Opening up to Aubrey was really difficult, but now that I’ve told someone I do feel better about it. And if Grayson and I are going to be together, he deserves to know me. All of me. This is going to be hard, but I don’t doubt his feelings. He won’t leave me when he finds out what a mess my family is.
I rinse the soap off and step out of the shower, wrapping my hair in one towel and my body in another. As I step into the bedroom, I notice a small bag sitting on the bed. When I look inside I see a pair of my yoga pants, panties, bra, and a red long-sleeved shirt. I turn around to ask Grayson where he got it when I notice him standing in the doorway.
“I called Aubrey, had her bring some fresh clothes over for you. I didn’t think you’d want to change into your clothes from last night. Plus, you didn’t have a shirt.”
Tears burn the back of my eyes over his kind gesture. I mean, yeah, he just got me a change of clothes, but it’s the fact that he thought to do this on his own.
“Thank you.” I give him a smile, then grab the bag and go back into the bathroom, allowing a few tears to fall down my cheeks.
Please God, don’t let me lose him. Please let him understand what I’m about to tell him.
I dry off and get dressed, grateful to see that Aubrey included a hairbrush and some ties. I throw my hair up into a knot and head out of the bathroom.
Grayson is in the living room watching ESPN with his iPad in his lap. He’s changed into a pair of tight jeans and a Braves T-shirt. I love that he’s unshaven and scruffy.
“Hey, you. I just ordered us some food from that Chinese place in town. Hope you’re hungry ’cause I got enough for an army.” He smiles at me over his shoulder, but it falters when he notices my lack of one. “You okay, babe?”
“I need to talk to you, Grayson. Can we sit?” I motion to the couch. He nods and pats his leg, obviously inviting me to sit on his lap. Instead, I walk to the opposite end of his couch, grateful that it’s a huge sectional. I need distance for this.
“Kennedy, what’s going on? Talk to me.” He leans forward, resting his arms on his knees. He’s giving me his full attention, and suddenly I’m nervous. I take a deep breath. No going back.
“My parents separated two months before I graduated high school. I haven’t seen my mom since then because she’s an alcoholic. A really bad alcoholic.” I can already feel the tears in my eyes. I can’t look at Grayson, knowing I won’t be able to keep them at bay if I do.
“It’s okay, Kennedy. Keep going.” His voice is soft and warm, and I can feel him staring at me. I look up and it’s confirmed. He hasn’t moved, waiting for me to continue. I bite my bottom lip to keep it from trembling. He starts to move to me, but I hold a hand out.
“No, please stay there. I can’t do this if you’re touching me. You just have to understand that other than telling Aubs yesterday, I’ve never spoken to anyone about this.” I take another couple deep breaths, then finish my story.
“My mom is an alcoholic. My father was a hotshot surgeon and I grew up very wealthy. I have an older sister by two years, Hilary. I haven’t seen any of my family in eight years. On the morning that my father decided he’d had enough with my mom, she drunkenly admitted to having an affair on him, that resulted in Hilary. Only I am my father’s child. My mom hid that from him for over twenty years. It killed my father, obviously. He had DNA tests done and when it was confirmed that Hilary wasn’t his, he packed me up and we moved a few streets down into a rental until I graduated high school. I had already been accepted to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, so as soon as I was graduated, I moved there.”
The tears are pouring down my face at this point and I know that I must look like a mess. But I have to get the hardest part out. The part I still cry over. The part I will never be able to reconcile with, no matter how much time passes.
“When I got home from graduation, Dad told me he had to go to the hospital. When I went up to my bedroom to change, he had left a letter for me on my bed. My father, the man who gave me life, who clothed me, fed me, loved me. He didn’t want me anymore. He couldn’t handle the heartbreak of what my mother had done. He was sorry, but he hoped one day I could understand. He left me an account, filled with what I later discovered was about a million dollars. I had no idea we were even that wealthy.” I stand up and start pacing, all the anguish of that day pouring out of me, my chest heaving with my sobs.
“And the best part, Grayson? He got remarried and has two little boys with his new wife. He sends me a birthday card once a year, simply signed ‘Henry.’ Not even ‘Dad.’ No ‘I love you.’ No ‘I miss you.’ No ‘I’m sorry.’ I lost my entire family and they get to call him Daddy. They don’t even know about me. How could he do that to me?!”
It’s with those words that I drop to the couch, leaning over and burying my face in my hands as I cry. It’s mere seconds before I feel myself being picked up and placed on Grayson’s lap. His arms are around me and I wrap my arms around his neck as I cling to him, sobbing loudly. I’ve never let myself go like this, not even when I told Aubrey. Sure I cried, but not like this. In the safety of Grayson’s arms, I finally come to terms with everything. I finally let myself grieve.
“Shh, baby, it’s okay. I’m so fucking sorry, Kennedy.” Grayson just holds me tighter, rocking me gently. I can feel him placing kisses to my head, whispering in my ear.
“Why did he leave me, Grayson? He was my father! How could he just leave me like that?” I cry into his neck, wishing that he could take all of my pain away.
He grabs me by the shoulders and sits me up to look at him.
“Listen to me, Kennedy. Really listen to me, okay?” I nod at him as he wipes at my tears. “What your father did was cowardly. He’s an asshole. No father should ever abandon his child, especially in a time as hard as divorce. He should be a part of your life. I’m so sorry you had to go through that, and I’m even sorrier that you’ve kept that in for eight years.”
He leans forward to kiss my forehead.
“But I will never leave you like that. I need you to trust that I’m here for you, always. Before everything else, you are my best friend, Kennedy. You will always have me. Aubrey, Noah, and me, we’re your family. Fuck your dad. He has no idea what he’s missing out on. What a beautiful, kind, amazing person his daughter has become.”
Despite my tears, I smile. Leaning forward, I give Grayson a gentle kiss, so grateful to know that this isn’t scaring him away. That he still wants me.
“That’s why I’m so scared, Grayson. How can I be with someone? I don’t even know what love is. I’m so scared to let myself fall for you.”
“Trust me enough to protect your heart, Kennedy. Let me take care of you. Let me show you what it’s like to be able to trust someone.” His hazel eyes are filled with determination as he leans forward to kiss me. I run my fingers through his hair, feeling my heart open to him. I have no idea where we’ll be a year from now, but one thing is for sure.
No more holding back.
> CHAPTER 8
Grayson
Sitting here holding Kennedy, feeling her warm tears drip onto my neck, everything makes total sense to me. No wonder she’s been so afraid to open up to me. I almost can’t blame her. I also want to punch her father’s lights out, but I’ll keep that to myself. My beautiful Kennedy, spending way too long believing she was unloved and unwanted.
Completely fucking unacceptable.
I vow to make sure she never goes another day without feeling love. I know that our “relationship” or whatever this has turned into is sudden, but we’ve spent all of our time together for almost a year. I can’t believe she’s been in this much pain for so long. I’m not a pussy or anything, but it was fucking heartbreaking to hear her talk about her family. When she kept asking me why he didn’t want her, I wanted to cry right along with her.
My family isn’t perfect by any means, but we love each other. My parents have been married for thirty-five years, and while we’ve had our share of problems, just like every family, my father would never do what hers did. I’m sure her mother having a drinking problem was hard, but it’s a disease. You don’t abandon your child for something their mother did decades before. And her older sister? I mean sure, she wasn’t biologically his, but he abandoned her too. It’s not her fault their mother slept with someone else.
***
Now we’re sitting together on the couch. Kennedy has since stopped crying, but her hold on me hasn’t lessened. Stroking her hair, I breathe in her scent. She smells like me, having used my shower stuff. I gotta tell ya, I fucking love it. A knock on my front door breaks me out of my thoughts. Kissing Kennedy’s temple, I slide her off my lap and walk over to the door, paying for the bags of food and carrying them to my dining table.
Kennedy follows me, grabbing some bottled water from the fridge. We eat in silence. I can tell that she’s worn out, both from last night and today. And to be honest, I’m exhausted too. The events of the last twenty-four hours are quite a stretch from where we were two weeks ago when I confessed my feelings to her.
